Protective effect of short-chain fatty acids against liver fibrosis and analogical application of its mechanism to pancreatic fibrosis
- VernacularTitle:短链脂肪酸对肝纤维化的保护作用及其机制在胰腺纤维化中的类推应用
- Author:
Yunjun YAN
1
;
Liang SHENG
1
;
Qi WANG
1
;
Shun PENG
1
;
Jia LI
1
;
Lei ZHANG
1
Author Information
- Publication Type:Review
- Keywords: Liver Fibrosis; Fatty Acids; Hepatic Stellate Cells
- From: Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2026;42(5):1160-1165
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
- Abstract: Short-chain fatty acids （SCFA） are the main metabolic products generated by the fermentation of dietary fiber by gut microbiota. Studies have shown that SCFA not only play a role in energy metabolism， but also act as important signaling molecules， exhibiting a significant potential in alleviating liver and pancreatic fibrosis. The core mechanism of SCFA mainly involves the regulation of various key signaling pathways by activating G protein-coupled receptors and inhibiting the activity of histone deacetylase， thereby suppressing the activation and proliferation of hepatic stellate cell （HSC） and pancreatic stellate cell （PSC）， which is a key link in fibrosis formation. In addition， SCFA can effectively alleviate tissue inflammation response， improve intestinal barrier function， and regulate gut microbiota balance， thus indirectly preventing the process of fibrosis mediated by the “gut-liver/pancreas axis”. Compared with the research on SCFA in liver fibrosis， studies on their role in pancreatic fibrosis are limited. Given that HSC and PSC are highly homologous， the transcription factors and proteins that have been confirmed in liver fibrosis-related studies are also similarly expressed in PSC， suggesting that they may also influence the activation of PSC. This article systematically summarizes the recent advances in the research on SCFA in alleviating liver and pancreatic fibrosis， in order to provide new perspectives for exploring the mechanism of pancreatic fibrosis and developing related interventional strategies.
